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5-MINUTE HUMMUS WITH QUICK TEHINA SAUCE - Israeli Soul, p. 145
This is a weeknight version of the hummus in Zahav, using canned chickpeas. I actually prefer this version, because in Zahav, Solomonov calls for cooking chickpeas with baking soda, which I think negatively impacts the final product. The thing that stands out about both recipes is the quanity of tahini involved, and that is something I heartily agree with. Unless you are opening a hummus stand, I would suggest halving this recipe, so you’ll use just one can of chickpeas and 1 cup (yes, a whole cup) of tehini. Solomonov has you make this in a food processor, which might work great, but my food processor is not a very good one, so I opted for the Vitamix. If you wish to do the same, I would recommend just making the tehini sauce to start the recipe in a bowl with a whisk - that’s actually easier than getting it to blend. Microplane the garlic if you do this. Then add both tehini sauce and chickpeas to the Vitamix and blend. I didn’t do it that this time, but that’s how I’ve done it in the past and how I would do it in the future. I’m gonna add a little nitpick right here and say that the instruction for the chickpeas to be drained and rinsed just irks the hell out of me. The is no reason to rinse them, it’s just silly, and I don’t know why authors keep putting that useless (and often detrimental) instruction in their books. Drain them and save the aquafaba (I freeze it).
Anyway, this is excellent hummus. Shown here with the zucchini and radish salad from p. 186, and dill tabbouleh from p. 195.
RADISH AND ZUCCHINI SALAD WITH MINT AND NIGELLA SEEDS - Israeli Soul, p. 186
Please, for the love of deliciousness, do not overlook the salad sections in this book or Zahav. They are full of little dishes you can whip up in no time that will add a lot to your meal. For this salad, you just grate a couple zucchini, julienne some radishes, chop up a handful of mint, and season with nigella seeds, and a modest amount of lemon juice, oil, and salt. So easy, and a love flavor. Pictured above with the hummus.
Three recipes in and I’m reminded of just how good this book is. Bulgur is out for me, so I used quinoa instead, and ended up using a more than a 1:1 replacement. So my proportions were a bit off, but it didn’t matter. You are to rehydrate bulger (if you can eat bulgur), chop up a whole lotta dill and lesser amount of onion. Dress with olive oil, lemon juice, and salt.
This riff on tabbouleh is a revelation. I don’t know if I’ll ever make the classic version again, this one is so good. Worth the price of the book. And so easy. Harder for me because I had to cook quinoa, but I employed my rice cooker to good effect for that. Even then a super easy weeknight dish and a smash hit at casa de Mel. Pictured upthread with hummus.
JERUSALEM GRILL RICE PILAF WITH PINE NUTS - p. 129
This dish is a riff on dirty rice, which is a nostalgic food for me. It calls for chicken hearts, livers, and thighs, so I had a bit of conversion to do to make it vegan. Tempeh has an earthy flavor that verges on liver-y, so I used it in place of the hearts and liver. Daring chicken stood in for the thigh meat. I changed the method a little to best suit the ingredients I was using, and maximize efficiency. Sliced onions are caramelized on their own and then set aside. I actually did this while the rice was cooking in the oven. Toasted pine nuts are called for at the end of the recipe, so I threw my pine nuts in with the onion for the last half of their cooking time, and they browned nicely. For the meats, I minced the tempeh, and browned in it a skillet, then stirred in half of the seasonings (which are turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, baharat, and cinnamon). I deglazed with a splash of tamari, and moved the tempeh to a plate. I then browned the Daring chicken in the same skillet, and tossed with the other half of the seaonings. In a Dutch oven, I sautéed the rice, added the “meats”, then water and salt. Note on the salt: The recipe calls for 1.5 tablespoons, which is probably the right amount if you are using Diamond Crystal. I was use Real Salt, which is more dense, so cut it back to 1 tablespoon, and the seasoning was perfect. Note on the water: the recipe calls for 4 cups, which I think is too much. I used 3 cups, and it was, imho, the right amount. The covered pot then goes into the oven for half an hour to cook. When it’s done, you top with the caramelized onions, pine nuts, and some cilantro.
This was absolutely delicious. Reminiscent of dirty rice, but also something completely different. I cut the cinnamon back from 1 tsp to 1/2 tsp, because I don’t like over-cinnamon-y savory dishes. I thought the seasoning was perfect. I should also note that my baharat was not the one from this book, it was the version in Arabesque that I already had made up. Served with some leftover zucchini/radish salad.
This recipe has a 4-hour cooking time, but I actually was saving it for a busy night. I was called out on a sheep rescue on Sunday, and it was an overnight trip. I got home very tired and very underfed Monday afternoon, with a list of follow-up tasks, and had to tend to the work in the pottery studio that I stashed into damp boxes when I got called out. So no way was I making an involved dinner. This dish had very simple prep, and I figured the Instant pot could save me from the long cook and having to babysit a pot on the stove.
So here is how it went: You are supposed to soak beans overnight. That didn’t happen, but I generally don’t soak beans. The only vegetable prep is dicing an onion and slicing some garlic. Those get sautéed, and I did that right in the IP. You then toss in a couple serrano peppers that have had holes poked in them, a pound of beans, some smoked paprike, and a combination of tomato juice and water. I wanted to reduce the liquid to account for being in the IP, so I cut only the water in half, and used the full amount of tomato juice. Salt is supposed to be added halfway through, but I added it from the get-go, as I always do. Now to set a cook time… The acid in the tomato juice would tend to keep the beans firm, which is reflected in the four-hour stovetop time in the recipe. So I upped from what I would usually use for these beans and went with 1 hour and 15 minutes. At the end of that time I let the pot naturally release for 15 minutes, then did a quick release.
The cook time was spot on, the beans were tender, but all still intact. You finish the soup with some lemon juice and more salt if needed (it was needed), and garnish with cilantro. This is the first dish from this book that wasn’t a hit for me. I love beans, and can happily eat them just plain if they are well-seasoned, so I hate to say that the soup was too simple, but that was my first impression. Upon reflection, I think the tomato juice just wasn’t doing it for me. Also, I like to put lots of salt in from the get-go, so the beans are seasoned throughout. These were undersalted during cooking, and adding salt at the end doesn’t really fix that. I can think of tweaks I would make if I were to make this again, but I’ll be honest and admit I’m not going to make it again. I have too many great bean soups in my repertoire to waste time fixing this one.
I’ve been doing farm animal rescue for almost a decade. It takes a team of people to pull off a rescue, the most important being the person or people who provide a forever home for the animal. My role is to remove the animal from whatever situation they are in and get them to that home, or to veterinary care, which was the case this time. The sheep didn’t make it, but at least she had a chance.
That is amazing! And I am sure heart-breaking at times. I have a neighbor with very large pastures who is providing a forever home for all kinds of animals. It is always interesting driving by and seeing who has come to live there now. I am glad farm animals have you and your team members there for them!! And thank you for gratifying my curiosity!
BLACK HARISSA, pg. 150
I am loving this condiment. We started out eating it on lamb and/or veg wraps made with Druze Mountain Bread, but since all that’s gone I’ve been enjoying it on eggs or with rice and vegetables.
This “harissa” is a paste of rehydrated ancho chiles, some black garlic, Urfa chile flakes, oil, salt, and a dash of sherry vinegar. Urfa pepper is pricey and I used up my supply making this, but I’m considering buying more so I can make this condiment again to eat with other dishes from the book.
SHAWARMA SPICE BLEND #1 FOR RED MEAT, pg. 150
The only ingredients here are sumac, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. I let it sit on a lamb shoulder overnight, but I’m not sure it added much to the finished roast. Lamb is a strong flavor and this one I bought was particularly “lamb-y,” so that’s probably why.
SHAWARMA SPICE BLEND #3 FOR VEGETABLES, pg. 150
I used this on roasted cauliflower that I intended to eat both alone and wrapped in Druze Mountain Bread. It was mild but pleasant. I also held back on the cinnamon; I don’t care for it as a primary flavor in savory goods.
This blend consists of turmeric, cumin, fenugreek, cinnamon, allspice, and black pepper.
DRUZE MOUNTAIN BREAD, pg. 116
I’ve made this a few times over the years, not because it’s especially flavorful but because I know it will roll out easily to a large flatbread for a stuffed wrap of veggies, meat, and condiments. I do not cook it on an overturned wok or other rounded surface. I used the largest pan that I have, which is a carbon steel comal-like pan that measures 14" across. Some of the breads I rolled a little too big and had to move them around the pan for complete cooking, but that’s not a problem. This bread won’t thrill you, but it’s good enough to make every once in a while for variety.
Now that my show is over, I can turn my attention back to these, as well as Dakshin. For this week, though, it’s Israeli Soul. This recipe appealed to me as one that is easy to veganize with the use of Impossible ground instead of lamb. You start by cutting a couple eggplants in half, scoring the cut side, salting, and baking, cut side down, for 20 minutes or until soft. Meanwhile, you can prep your meat mixture, which is ground meat (Impossible for me) mixed with the Merguez spice blend on p. 151, some grated onion and garlic, cilantro, parsley, and salt. Another component of the recipe is a simple tomato sauce from p. 251, and I made that while the eggplants were cooking as well. Once the eggplants are done, you scoop out the flesh and mash. To cook the filling, sauté red and yellow bell peppers, then add chopped onion and garlic, and eventually the meat mixture. Some tomato paste and crushed tomatoes get worked in, and the eggplant pulp goes in last. The tomato sauce goes on the bottom of a baking dish, and the eggplant shells are stuffed with the filling and placed on top. Pine nuts are sprinkled over, and it all goes back in the oven to bake. You serve with the sauce from the baking dish spooned over top.
We really enjoyed this and it made a nice switch from the Greek stuffed eggplant that is my usual preparation. Served with the yellow rice from p. 237.
I wanted to get in some grilling while the weather is nice. This recipe calls for 2.5 lbs of ground beef, so I reduced it. I used 2 12-oz packs of Impossible for a slightly more than half recipe. The “meat” is seasoned with garlic, smoked paprika, salt, Espelette pepper, Aleppo pepper, a little sugar, and parsley. There is also supposed to be a small amount of seltzer mixed in. I forgot this. Not sure what it is supposed to add, but my kebabs were fine without it. (Recipe says it makes them puff a bit and keeps them tender).
I grilled these on my Big Green Egg. Not sure I’ve ever met a kebab I didn’t like, so of course I liked these. They are garlicky and tasty. The author’s suggestion is to serve them with the carrot chrain on p. 196, which I did, and it was a fantastic pairing, much better than I expected.
For this super easy recipe, you start by grating a couple carrots. Mine were not huge, so I ended up using 4. You sauté the grated carrot in some olive oil and salt to soften it. You then transfer to a bowl and mix with a lot of prepared horseradish, a little sugar, and some Dijon mustard. The author suggests adjusting the seasoning with more horseradish, but I said, “we’re good.” I seriously did a double take at the amount of horseradish in this. But all was well. I don’t know if this little salad would wow me on its own, but I served it as the suggested accompaniment to the Romanian kebabs on p. 270, and it really went beautifully with them. Pic upthread with the kebab review.
More grilling. These kebabs are pretty similar to the Romanian ones upthread, with slightly different seasoning. Onion instead of garlic, parsley and mint instead of just parsley. There was cumin and black pepper in these and no Espelette. The shaping instructions have you leave these in balls rather than making torpedo shapes. Once again, I skipped the skewers altogether, and I shaped these into thick but small patties. They were served with the eggplant salad on p. 191, per the suggestion in the book. While I liked both kinds of kebabs, I liked these just a bit more, thanks to the cumin and mint.
ROASTED EGGPLANT WITH PEPPERS - Israeli Soul, p. 191
I made this because it was the suggested accompaniment to the Bulgarian kebabs. You are supposed to rub an eggplant with oil and salt and grill or broil it whole. I don’t see how the oil and salt are going to do much if the skin is on the eggplant. Anyway, I didn’t do that. When I grilled kebabs a two days ago, I used the hot coals left after cooking to cook this eggplant. Then stashed the eggplant in the fridge to make this salad later. You marinated diced red and green bell pepper, onion, and garlic in some red wine vinegar and salt. You later drain the liquid off, and add the chopped eggplant pulp. I was a little skeptical that after draining the vinegar off the veg, the salad would have enough acidity. My concern was unfounded. It was fine. You are supposed to garnish this salad with parsley (not shown in the picture in the book), but I skipped it. I would probably want it, or maybe some other herb (cilantro?) if I were serving the salad on its own, but I didn’t think I needed it to go with the kebabs. I liked this with the kebabs - we were eating a bit of kebab and a bit of eggplant with each bite. Like the carrot chrain, the two dishes meshed well. I don’t think I’d be such a fan of it on its own. Not that it was bad, there are just so many middle eastern eggplant dishes out there. This one was pretty heavy on the bell peppers, even though I used a bit less than the recipe called for, and my eggplant was quite large. Pic upthread under the Bulgarian kebabs.
I will have to have another look through Israeli Soul, as nothing cried out as a must make. I did make the pita, which was very tasty, but took longer than the maximum time stated and puffed into buns. I liked putting it together in the food processor so I’ll give that another go and find an accompaniment.
I’m glad you made both of these because I was trying to decide which one to try first. I just finished moving into a new kitchen and am ready to start cooking again from this book and at least one other.
